


Spaceships

by andamiro (arysthaeniru)



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-26
Updated: 2014-08-26
Packaged: 2018-02-15 00:07:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2208207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arysthaeniru/pseuds/andamiro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"TURNS out two heads really are better than one. Two people have successfully steered a virtual spacecraft by combining the power of their thoughts - and their efforts were far more accurate than one person acting alone. One day groups of people hooked up to brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) might work together to control complex robotic and telepresence systems, maybe even in space." <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21729025.600-mindmeld-brain-power-is-best-for-steering-spaceships.html#.Ui7uX0CpfV4">Mind-meld brain power is best for steering spaceships - tech - 01 February 2013 - New Scientist)</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Spaceships

Shishido shut his eyes, lazily, feeling the warmth of the light from the star, Betelgeuse against his face from the port-hole. Well, not really, their main ship was completely radiation-protected, but when he shut his eyes, he could see the impression of the brightness against his eyelids and he could imagine for a little bit. 

He loved the spaceship, but he didn’t really appreciate how cold and sterile it was. Clean and neat and perfectly precise, just like Atobe liked. It was a sensible enough order, considering they had to reduce as much weight as they could in order to fit necessities like food and oxygen canisters, but Shishido sometimes missed his decorated apartment and he knew that Gakuto was missing his feather collection. 

He knew for a fact that Atobe definitely missed the lavish interiors of his ancestral home, but their leader had never said a word about it, keeping impressively tight-lipped about his complaints. Unlike Oshitari, who definitely whined when nobody was looking and Kabaji who just looked depressed on some days. 

It was lonely out here, drifting in the middle of space and systematically eradicating the faulty drones that the Empire had sent out into the universe, but Shishido agreed with Wakashi fundamentally here: they were living the dream. Only fifty years ago, space travel was a cramped rocket, with no gravity inside the ship and strange torture devices to pee in. Now, it was high-tech, sprawling and aided the expansion of the Earth Empire and they were right at the forefront of it all. How could he not be happy?

Shishido’s head lulled against the side of the porthole and he smiled, faintly. It was a gorgeous view of the universe, from these ships, shooting past galaxies and stars and light-years. While he often didn’t get a chance to be alone and still (and didn’t particularly like to do it very often), it was nice for a short period of time. You both felt small and insignificant, and yet so large and important. 

His musings were interrupted by the star-ship slowing down around him, too rapidly to be normal. Shishido gripped the porthole’s railing and frowned as the red lights started flashing and the siren started blaring. Shit, they’d found a drone. And he was about 10 minutes away from the deployment bay. 

Shishido started sprinting down the corridors, using the speed he was so famed for to make it there. if he missed even one outing, Gakuto would mock him for eternity. He skidded down the metal passageways and almost collided with several scientists and ambassadors in his haste. To his credit, he shaved the time down to four minutes as he raced into the bay and grabbed his gravity boots to weigh him down inside their smaller deployment vessels. 

Choutarou was already inside their ship and waiting (he was always on time, Shishido envied that sometimes), so Shishido hopped in and quickly started strapping himself in. Choutarou wordlessly placed Shishido’s helmet on and adjusted that, so the brain nodes attached to the right points of his scalp. They didn’t have the tenure of most flight partners, but they clicked in many ways, which made their piloting easier.

Choutarou flicked open the manual power-switch as Shishido checked both of their straps. If those broke mid-flight, they would be severely compromised. “Auto Take-off mode initiated.” Choutarou said.

Shishido just confirmed that order with a nod and they rose into the air, easily and smoothly. Gakuto had just arrived next to his ship and Oshitari was nowhere to be found; this was definitely the Silver Pair’s mission. As they rose, Shishido checked the flashing sensors for the drone and easily located it. It was around 500 miles from their ship. As soon as he glanced there, Choutarou just nodded and they quickly steered the ship around. 

Thing was, unlike other fighter-partners, they didn’t have to verbalize any decisions for what they wanted to do. One initiated and the other agreed; simple. They trusted each other’s judgement completely, so didn’t verbalize anything and that made them the best team in the whole universe squadron, beating out even Seigaku’s Golden Pair and Rikkai’s famed Niou and Yagyuu. 

Shishido just smiled reassuringly at Choutarou, who glanced at their low fuel gauge with a concerned expression on his face. “It’ll last.” said Shishido, as they drew closer. 

"It better, Shishido-san." said Choutarou, as they armed the weapons systems and sent out three fast blasts, which the drone managed to dodge. 

"They’ve gotten faster." murmured Shishido, as he reached forward for the homing missile and Choutarou followed, instantaneously. The missile blasted forward and they sent out decoy blasts to trap the drone. The drones were machines, they weren’t that smart. 

Three..two..one…BOOM! Shishido grinned and pumped his fists happily as the drone exploded. “Did it before Gakuto and Oshitari even got strapped in.” said Shishido, with a laugh. “Betcha they’ll be pissed.”

"Shishido-san!" Choutarou protested, softly, as they steered the ship back. His eyes flickered over the side of the smaller ship. "Nothing else out-there…" he murmured, but he still looked concerned. Shishido glanced down into his lap and nodded.

"It’s too easy." he said, with a slight nod. The last drone they had killed had been almost impossible to kill and they’d almost died. "You think we actually killed it?"

"Life systems are off, it’s not operating anymore." said Choutarou, slowing the ship with his mind nevertheless, and Shishido followed, quickly. They waited in space, their engines cut off, waiting for something to happen.

"Nothing…" murmured Choutarou, glancing to Shishido, with a slightly nervous look. Shishido shrugged and pulled the engines back up. Choutarou quickly followed and they started to steer the ship back to the bay, feeling a little uneasy. 

"If this one comes back ten times as powerful…" muttered Shishido, as they pulled the ship into landing-mode.

"Then we’ll take responsibility and destroy it." decided Choutarou, as he turned off the manual power-switch and pulled off his own helmet carefully. Shishido just pulled the visor away from his face and grinned. "Right. Now come on, let’s go find Jirou, at least one half of Gakuto and Oshitari got here, Jirou just didn’t show up for Kabaji." he said, looking out at the landing bay and Gakuto shouting at Oshitari, who looked rather ruffled. 

"Do you think he fell asleep inside the craft room again, Shishido-san?" asked Choutarou, giving Shishido a hand out of their craft. Shishido took it gratefully and squeezed.

"Probably." he said, with a slight snort. "Atobe gonna be pissed."

"Probably." agreed Choutarou, with a slight grin.


End file.
